West Windsor residents of the Princeton View community are asking for your help RE: Another Warehouse Proposal Threatens West Windsor Residents, with a Letter to the Editor by Ben Li

West Windsor residents of the Princeton View community are asking for your help. There are 2 opportunities to show up and voice opposition to this 24-hour warehouse distribution center plan that our administrators have embraced. The first is the WW Town Council meeting tonight at 7. Details are on the agenda.

There is evidence that the applicant's stormwater plan is insufficient and very likely destructive. Speakers at both meetings will share data-based details that support the residents' argument.

The second meeting is the Mercer County Planning Board Zoom meeting on June 12 at 9am. Meeting info will be on the County meeting page and it will be updated with the agenda closer to the meeting date. Please try to attend one or both and let our leaders know how you feel about the industrialization of West Windsor.

Letter to the Editor:

Dear Editor,

As a resident of West Windsor I have expressed strong objections to a recently approved warehouse project located near McCaffrey’s, behind the Valero, at 399 Princeton Hightstown Road, where it intersects with Southfield. The project, proposed by JDN Enterprises LLC, was given the green light by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), disregarding the grave concerns I raised along with other West Windsor residents.

In my communications with NJDEP, I outlined the likely negative impacts of the warehouse to my property and the surrounding community. The project’s boundary is less than 200 feet from my home. The stormwater runoff from the warehouse will flow right through my backyard and into Brookside Preserve in the Princeton View community. Unlike most of West Windsor, we don’t have public sewerage. The HOA, my neighbors and I all fear that the additional stormwater runoff will overwhelm our septic systems and basements. We know the soil in the area is not conducive to quick water absorption.

In response to a letter from the NJDEP, we raised these concerns. The department ignored our input and approved the project based solely on the applicant adhering to the old requirements ( N.J.A.C. 7:8), standards and rules. These standards have loopholes and gray areas. The NJDEP’s evaluation process failed to consider all relevant factors.

The long-awaited Inland Flood Protection Rule was adopted on July 17, 2023! It provides protocols based on new data to manage current and estimated future levels of rainfall, runoff, and flooding. The rule raises the Design Flood Elevation by two feet. It requires the use of future projected rainfall amounts when calculating flood elevations, and ensures that best practices are implemented to manage runoff for both current and future storms.

During a NJDEP webinar on July 24, 2023, Vince Mazzei, State Floodplain Administrator, explained that the department would take residents’ property, life and safety concerns into consideration. He stated that they would consider the application of new rules on a case-by-case basis. It would follow that the NJDEP would use the newly adopted IFPR for this project for obvious reasons. It is shocking, they did not.

As this warehouse project undergoes a revision, it requires approval from the Mercer County Planning Board. My neighbors and I are advocating that the new design abide by the rainfall rates specified in the Inland Flood Protection Rule. The importance of using the new precipitation numbers from Cornell University, which projects a whopping 30% increase in rainfall over the next 100 years for Mercer County. The IFPR was mandated to protect our homes and our neighborhood. It’s COMMON SENSE! This project and all future builds must utilize what is designated in the IFPR.

Allowing any project to be grandfathered under outdated rainfall rates is NEGLIGENCE!

I encourage residents of West Windsor and the surrounding areas to attend the upcoming meeting on Tuesday, May 28th at West Windsor’s Municipality, 271 Clarksville Rd., at 7:00pm. Agenda.

The discussion will have an impact on this development and others going forward. Our elected officials, in West Windsor, need to see that this entire region is concerned and watchful as they address how West Windsor will comply with the dictums of the Inland Flood Protection Rule.

Please join us when West Windsor’s Engineering division presents a draft ordinance for modifications to the Township code pertaining to stormwater control, as required to reflect the provisions of the State’s adoption of the Inland Flood Rules at N.J.A.C. 7:8 passed in July 2023.

The Mercer County Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, is virtual and I encourage people to voice concerns and to support the application of the Inland Flood Protection Rule in this project’s revision.

The meeting information and Zoom link can be found on the Mercer County website:

https://www.mercercounty.org/departments/planning/planning-board.

By making our voices heard, we can help ensure that our health and safety, property values and well-being are prioritized in the process. My fellow residents and I remain opposed to this project due to the adverse impacts of increased stormwater runoff, generated by this proposal. We hope that the project’s revision will either adhere to or surpass the most up-to-date flood protection standards, protecting our community for years to come, or scrap the warehouse proposal altogether.

Hopeful,

Ben Li